Eric Garcetti wants state lawmakers to reverse course on records law

SACRAMENTO — Los Angeles Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti said he opposed a move by Gov. Jerry Brown and Sacramento Democrats to limit the scope of state open records laws.

Garcetti, who joined the top executives of California’s largest cities in a meeting with Brown in the Capitol on Tuesday, said that as mayor he will ensure the city of Los Angeles continues to abide by rules that require response to record requests within 10 days and require the city to help members of the public find what they are looking for. But he said he was concerned that some smaller jurisdictions might not.

“Our worry is not that we wouldn’t do it,” he said. “It’s that a Bell wouldn’t do it, or a small town.”

Lawmakers approved a request, first made by Brown earlier this year, to make compliance optional with provisions of the open records law. Elected bodies and commissions will now have the right to vote against abiding by the current law.

The move has been blasted by 1st Amendment groups and Republicans who voted against the measure, and has become a headache for Democratic lawmakers who voted for the change as part of a larger budget deal with Brown last week.

The measure is awaiting Brown’s signature, but Garcetti said he would like to see the governor and lawmakers reverse course.

“For them to stick this into a larger budget just seems to be corrosive to democracy …,” he said, noting that many of the mayors he met with Tuesday shared his views. “ We all said we would like to see it [taken out]. I’d love to see the change made however it can be done. “